DIY Surround Sound Hi-Fi: Tech Clinic

Q: I just bought a car stereo that can play DVD-Audio discs. Can I burn these myself?

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A: The DVD-Audio format has many advantages over CDs — 5.1-channel surround sound, sample rates up to 192 kHz, and 24-bit audio that is closer to the quality of the original recordings.

Authoring your own DVD-Audio discs, however, can be tricky. Until recently, only pro-level software had the appropriate licenses to authorize you to master your own DVD-Audio discs. Now, new consumer software such as Ulead VideoStudio 10 Plus ($80) lets you make full-blown 5.1 surround-sound discs.

The real question is where you're going to get the high-quality surround-sound tracks to put on your DVD-Audio discs. You can't copy existing DVD-Audio discs: It's illegal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, despite the availability of tools to do so. And no major online music service offers DVD-Audio songs for download. In fact, unless you are recording your own music in a nice home studio, you probably aren't going to have the high-quality audio files necessary to justify burning a DVD-Audio disc. Instead, your only option for DVD-Audio authoring is to fill up a disc with MP3 or CD-quality audio that would be just as well served by a CD.

For now, the only advice I can give is to purchase a DVD-Audio disc or two and enjoy the work that goes into the production.